Within the past year or so, I’ve become enamored by street art, graffiti, and tagging. I’m not exactly sure where it all started, but I guess that really doesn’t matter, huh?
 
Upon arrival in Hong Kong, my temporary home for the fall semester, I developed a burning desire to explore the street art culture here and see how it varies from back home. After a successful run on Hong Kong Island a few days ago, I started to reflect on some of the reasons why taking pictures of street art is so special and what one can learn from doing it.

I hadn’t really noticed this back home in Toronto, but one of the perks of searching for a great shot (and this really can extend to any kind of photography) is that you explore and more closely examine your surroundings; you let yourself get lost amidst the sea of infrastructure and dare to go places one may not usually consider. This is especially true for graffiti since the longevity of an artists’ piece is often negatively correlated with the degree of visibility. Thus confidence and a sense of adventure prove useful when trekking through questionable alleyways, buildings, and trails. Soon one spot feeds into another and that secluded back alley lined with streams of murky green scum becomes less of an unsightly view and more of a breathtaking trove of urban sprawl. These moments of unconventional discovery can give rise to a more intimate look at a city and, in the context of being a foreigner here in Hong Kong, allow one to step out of the shoes of “tourist” and feel more like a proper resident*.

*However I do believe one can feel like foreigner in our own city. We become so accustomed by our surroundings that we don’t bother to investigate or probe our environment for it seemingly lacks interest.

Along with the host of opportunities to physically explore a city, locating and photographing street art lends to critical thinking, be it reflecting upon the infrastructure, politics and/or culture of a city, or on the statement the artist may be making (although admittedly not all graffiti is particularly cerebral**).

**Not that it always needs to be, cerebral that is. I think one can appreciate street art purely for its aesthetic or the awe associated with its size and/or placement.

With all this said, I don’t think these traits are unique to photographing street art.I find photography in itself to be an anthropological exercise that forces one to explore, observe, think and reflect. Some of the things one can unearth once you put a physical lens to it can leave you dumbstruck and, beyond questioning the sights being shot, allow you to probe the rational behind the snap of the shutter.